India Overcome Glitches to Beat Bangladesh by 41 Runs, Advance to Asia Cup Final

Despite a patchy performance, India booked their spot in the Asia Cup 2025 final with a 41-run victory over Bangladesh in the Super Fours clash at Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.

Batting first, India posted 168/6, led by Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 75 off 37 balls and Hardik Pandya’s late cameo of 38 off 29. The innings, however, was marred by four dropped catches and a middle-order collapse, exposing fielding vulnerabilities. Sanju Samson notably did not bat as India lost five wickets in the latter half of the innings.

In response, Bangladesh’s chase faltered despite a fighting 69 from Saif Hassan. The opener survived four dropped catches but lacked support from the other end. Axar Patel and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy triggered a collapse, while Kuldeep Yadav cleaned up Rishad Hossain and Tanzim Hasan Sakib in successive deliveries. Tilak Varma wrapped up the innings, as Bangladesh were all out for 127.

Earlier, India’s openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill provided a flying start, posting 72 runs in the powerplay. Gill fell for 29, and Sharma was run out after a spectacular fielding effort by Rishad Hossain. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s promotion of Shivam Dube to number three failed, as Dube managed just two runs.

Despite India’s hiccups, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel steadied the innings in the final overs, pushing the total to a defendable 168. In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah made an immediate impact, removing Tanzid Hasan Tamim early in the innings and setting the tone for India’s disciplined performance.

Scoreline: India 168/6 (Abhishek Sharma 75, Hardik Pandya 38; Rishad Hossain 2/27) defeated Bangladesh 127 (Saif Hassan 69, Parvez Hossain Emon 21; Kuldeep Yadav 3/18).

India will now face the winner of Bangladesh vs Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, aiming to cap off an unbeaten Super Fours campaign.